I Am Iron Man
by Ruke
Summary: Set 15 years after the events of FLASH. Ruke Stone, the former Sparkman becomes the Invincible Iron Man! Witness this epic story right here! Featuring the death of Tony Stark and the comeback of Obadiah Stane, the Iron Monger! NON-CANON. Please R&R!
1. Iron Battles

KIRBY PLAZA OUTDOOR CARPARK

KIRBY PLAZA OUTDOOR CARPARK  
11:00PM  
RAINING - ALOT

Iron Man crashes from high above onto a car. The alarm of the car starts to sound as Iron Man lays there covered in glass and parts of his armor pulverized

Iron Man: Ugh...

A large, grey, bulky version of Iron Man, known as the Iron Monger, hovers down from the rooftop and lands in front of Iron Man

Iron Monger: Look at this... The great Tony Stark! Iron Man! Lying right in front of me in shambles... Pathetic. Weak.

Iron Man: tilts his head a bit to face Iron Monger You won't get away with this, Stane...

Iron Monger: Poor fool... Don't you realize by now that I have already won?

Iron Man tries his best to stand up, but can't

Iron Monger: You're getting old, Stark. And now, it's your time.

Iron Monger takes a few steps towards Iron Man

Iron Monger: lifts up a fist This is for my father.

THE TRISKELION  
INFIRMARY  
DIRECTOR STARK'S ROOM

Tony lies unconscious and all bandaged up on a bed and machines plugged onto him everywhere around him. James Rhodes (his Stark International Chief Engineer, War Machine and best friend), Harold "Happy" Hogan (his chauffeur, the former War Machine and Tony's other best friend) and Pepper Potts (his secretary, Happy's wife and Tony's ex-girlfriend) stand beside his bed.

Pepper: They said that he's taken several concussive hits to the head.

Happy: He's still alive.

James: He's BRAIN-DEAD, Jim! And the Doctors have no idea when he'll wake up!

Happy: There's still hope--

James: NO! We've always HOPED in the past and LOOK WHERE IT HAS GOTTEN US!

Happy: By all means, Jim. The good that has happened far outrank the bad.

James: But the bad is so drastic that the good is nothing but # to that now in comparison!

Happy: Jim--

James: SHUT UP! I'M GONNA TAKE ACTION FOR THIS! That Stane's gonna get such a beating!

Pepper: We can't hold any charges against him. Not unless we got some evidence to prove that he's the Iron Monger.

Happy: He was just avenging his father.

James: Huh. "Avenging".

James turns around and storms off

STANE INTERNATIONAL  
MAIN OFFICE

A young, but bald business man sits in his office looking out the large window. He is Obadiah Stane. His secretary comes in

Obadiah: Well?

Secretary: Stark International is officially yours now, Mr. Stane.

Obadiah: Excellent. You can leave now.

The Secretary leaves

Obadiah turns around and then walks over to his desk and then looks at the photo of an old fishing trip with him and his dad, Zebediah Stane.

Obadiah: Vengeance has been dealt.

??: No it hasn't.

Obadiah: What?

War Machine smashes in through the window and then grabs Obadiah by the neck, he then flies back out and then holds Obadiah by the neck about 50 stories high up in the air

War Machine: You're dead meat, Stane

Obadiah: Rhodes, calm down.

War Machine: HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN YOU PULVERIZED MY BEST FRIEND INTO A DROOLING VEGETABLE!? HUH!?

Obadiah: He deserved it.

War Machine: NO! HE DIDN'T! NOBODY DESERVES THAT! ONLY KILLERS! LIKE YOU!

Obadiah: Stark was a killer.

War Machine: HE WAS ANYTHING BUT A KILLER!

Obadiah: Oh, come on. Director of SHIELD? Ever heard of mercy killing? Killing for the "greater good"? And to add to that--he killed my father.

War Machine: SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW THAT UNLESS YOU CAN PROVE IT!

Obadiah Stane: Very well, then.

MINUTES LATER

War Machine has a large machine gun pointed to the back of Obadiah's head while he plays a tape

Obadiah: This footage has been taken through a security camera all the way back in the late-80's.

The video starts

The footage plays to show a blue, less sophisticated version of the Iron Monger, laying against the wall of a factory with his helmet off. The man was a bald man with a bear on his face. His name was Zebediah Stane, the father of Obadiah. And the same man in that fishing photo that Obadiah was looking at earlier.

Iron Man, in a cheaper, more simple version of the Iron Man armor, lands in front of the fallen Iron Monger

Iron Man: End of the line, Stane. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. I've got you trapped like a rat.

Zebediah: I'd rather die than lose to you...

Iron Man: Really? Huh. Then instead of me finishing you off and delivering you to the police, how about I just kill you right here on the spot? aims his Repulsor Ray gauntlet at Zebediah

Zebediah: I'm not afraid of you...

The footage ends

The footage ends followed by just a grey signal-blur on the screen

War Machine: That still isn't really any proof that Tony did murder Stane.

Obadiah walks over to his desk and then gets a file out of a drawer labeled "THE STANE MURDER". He then takes out a few photos and shows them to War Machine.

Obadiah: Minutes later they found the dead body of my father laying against that same wall in the same factory, with a repulsor ray injury in his stomach that went right clean through. And another security tape recorded that Iron Man was the last one out of that factory after the incident.

War Machine: This can't be...

Obadiah: So you see, "Rhodey"... Your precious best friend and employer was more of a killer than anyone else. And so he deserved what he got. Every. Little. Bit of it.

War Machine: Grrr...SHUT UPHHHYYYAARRRGGGHHH!!

War Machine throws a fist at Obadiah, but Stane ducks and then backrolls to the right wall of his office. He then slaps a button nearby and then it opens up to reveal the Iron Monger armor, and Obadiah just swiftly leaps right into it through the head and it covers up

Iron Monger: Now then, let's get to business, shall we?

Iron Monger powers up his jets and then crashes onto War Machine at full speed. He then smashes War Machine onto a nearby rooftop hard

War Machine: Augh...

Iron Monger: Don't worry, Mr. Rhodes. I'm not going to kill you. I'll merely...

Iron Monger lifts up War Machine in his arms, and then knees War Machine hard onto his back

Iron Monger: BREAK YOU!!

War Machine: AAAAAAUUUUUURRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!

War Machine's back snaps and then Iron Monger drops him onto the streets below.

Iron Monger Have a good day, Mr. Rhodes.

Iron Monger flies off and War Machine just lays on the ground, broken.


	2. Playboy Ruke Stone

THE STONE MANSION

Ruke sits in a hot-tub with Milia just relaxing and enjoying life. Rob was there too with a girl of his own at the other side

Ruke: --And that is why life has never been better for Stone Corp! And we can all expect a happy life for the future!

They all raise a martini

Rob: That's perfect. Just... perfect!  
Milia: Excellent!  
Rob's girlfriend (Carlie): Sounds fun!

All of a sudden, Ruke's cell phone starts to ring.

Ruke: Sorry, Ladies and Gentleman but I have to get that.

Ruke hops out and puts on a bath robe. He then answers his phone

Ruke: Hello? Yes? Yes? his voice raises and his facial expression changes completely WHAT!? Yes! Okay! I'll be right there! hangs up

Rob: What's the matter, buddy?

Ruke: No time to explain. Gotta run! I'll see you tomorrow, hon!

Ruke runs out of the room immediately

THE TRISKELION

James sits in a wheelchair all bandaged up as well and was sitting there besides Tony Stark, still brain-dead on the bed. Happy and Pepper are there as well.

Ruke arrives

Ruke: Oh my God... What happened?!

Happy: Stane took advantage of Tony's old alcohol problem and then wrecked him completely. And one thing led to another, and it eventually came to this.

Ruke: Rhodey, what happened to you?! You were just fine last week when we had brunch!

James: doesn't even look at Ruke ...

Happy: He went as War Machine to try and take down Stane but couldn't.

Ruke: Then file a lawsuit, for Pete's sake!

Pepper: We can't. We don't have enough evidence to prove that Stane is the Iron Monger.

Ruke: Iron Monger?

Happy: Yeah, that's the identity that Stane took on to--

Ruke: No, "Iron Monger"? The name?

Pepper: The Bugle dubbed him that.

Happy: Typical. But the name IS catchy.

Ruke: So what now?

Pepper: "What now"? There's no plan here, Ruke! There's absolutely nothing we can do about this!

Ruke: What's the guy's name again?

Happy: Obadiah Stane.

Ruke: Obadiah Stane...? Wait, he's owns a large stock of Stone Corp.!

Happy: Then you'd better hope that you're not his next target, otherwise Stone Corp. would be his.

Ruke: Next target?

Pepper: Yeah. He buys the largest stock than any other stockholder of a company and then kills whoever's currently in charge as Iron Monger. And therefore, gets the company.

Ruke: That's...

Happy: And there's nothing we can do about it.

Pepper: Now for why we brought you here... We need Alpha.

Ruke: Alpha?

Happy: Alpha. You know? The superhero you used to be?

Ruke: Oh no, sorry but I can't.

Happy: Why not?

Ruke: I lost my powers in a galactic fight against a guy named Thanos. So yeah, I got no more powers.

Pepper: I heard you used to have a Stratos armor that is like a much simpler, more basic version of the Iron Man armor.

Ruke: I discarded all my armors a couple of years ago to make some space for my workshop. Seeing as I didn't need them anymore, anyway.

Happy: Build another one.

Ruke: Can't do that either.

Happy: Why not?

Ruke: It will take too long.

Pepper: We have all the time in the world, how can--

Ruke: Look, if you're so afraid that I will be Stane's next target, then don't be. He's my problem, so let me deal with it.

Ruke walks out of the room

THAT NIGHT  
STONE MANSION

Ruke stands in a room filled with newspaper and magazine clippings, photos, and other news artifacts about his hero days as Sparkman, Alpha, Stratos and Symbiote respectively

Ruke: Heh. Got so many identities back in the day that I didn't which one I was at times.

Milia knocks on the door and walks inside

Milia: Hey.

Ruke: Hey.

Milia puts her arm around Ruke

Milia: Looking back at the old days?

Ruke: What does it look like?

Milia: Do you miss those days at all?

Ruke: Eh, kinda. But then when I think back to all those bruises, broken legs and--

Milia chuckles

Ruke: smiles at her How are ya?

Milia: I'm doing good. You?

Ruke: Fine. The Stark Squad want me to be Alpha again.

Milia: Why?

Ruke: Crazy super-villain killed Stark. They want vengeance.

Milia: Typical. You can't help, though can you?

Ruke: I can't. And Stane is gonna come after me next.

Milia: Stane?

Ruke: The crazy super-villain. But I told them I can handle the problem myself.

Milia: Can you?

Ruke: I don't know. My days as Alpha are long over.

Milia: smiles at him Let's stray away from this for a while. You know, put it all aside for now.

Ruke: Sure... I need a break anyway. It's been a long day.

They kiss

THE NEXT DAY  
STONE CORP.  
RUKE'S OFFICE

Ruke works at his desk in the middle of the afternoon in his office

Secretary: peeps in through the door Someone wants to see you, Mr. Stone.

Ruke: Send him in.

Obadiah Stane walks in through the door.

Ruke: Welcome, Mr. Stane. Please, have a seat.


	3. Iron Monger Strikes!

Ruke sits face-to-face with Obadiah Stane inside his office

Ruke sits face-to-face with Obadiah Stane inside his office

Ruke: What kind of a deal are we talking about here?

Obadiah: Simple. As you know, both our companies are indeed very powerful. Imagine what it would be like if Stane Enterprises and Stone Corporation merge together as one?

Ruke: So that's your plan? To merge the two companies together as one?

Obadiah: Yes. Any profit either of our companies make, we get 30 of the other. That sound good to you?

Ruke: Quick question: Why Stone Corp.?

Obadiah: Like I said, powerful.

Ruke: Stark International is powerful.

Obadiah: I own Stark International now.

Ruke: Acts surprised What? How?

Obadiah: Haven't you heard? Mr. Stark died in a very terrible accident and since I owned more stocks of the company than anyone else, I automatically "inherit" it.

Ruke: Stark is not the kind of person to get involved in accidents.

Obadiah: It happens, though. Nobody is invincible. Well? What do you say? smiles and holds his hand out for a shake

Ruke just stares at the hand for a while. And then shakes his head

Ruke: No thank you, Stane. I'll pass.

Obadiah: Listen, have you even thought of the many opportunities we could--

Ruke: Yes, I have. But thanks for offering, Stane - but no thanks. You can leave now.

Obadiah: You have no idea how big a mistake you just made.

Obadiah leaves the office

THE IRON MAN ARMORY

Happy watches as James works on building a new Iron Man armor

Happy: Why, Jim? What's the point?

James: I'm building this for Stone.

Happy: Do you honestly, seriously think that Ruke can really--

James: stops working and looks at Happy Yes. He was Alpha, for Pete's sake! Why are you pessimistic?!

Happy: I don't want what happened to Tony also happen to Ruke! God, why are you like this!? Can't you just accept what has happened?!

James: NO! I CAN'T! BECAUSE TONY GOT KILLED BY A SUPERVILLAIN! THE IRON MONGER! OBADIAH STANE! IF HE DIED NATURALLY OR IN A CAR ACCIDENT, THEN I WOULD ACCEPT IT! BUT NO, HE DIDN'T! STANE HAD THE INTENTION TO KILL HIM! AND HE DID SO! WHICH IS WHY THERE IS VENGEANCE TO BE DEALT!

Happy falls silent

James: Not so "happy" now, are ya? gets back to work

Happy leaves the armory

Ruke works quietly in his office at 11PM at night.

Ruke: finishes up Ah! There! All done! Now I can relax a little and then head home!

Ruke lies back on his chair and closes his eyes. And just then, a big, bulky metallic figure with lit-eyes and a large chest-thingy stands right in front of Ruke's desk

Iron Monger: Ruke Stone.

Ruke: is shot awake by the sudden robotic voice AH!

Iron Monger: I gave you a chance, Stone. But then you spat at my face.

Ruke: S-S-Stane!?

Iron Monger: And now... I'll have no other way to acquire Stone Corp... Other than to kill you...

Ruke: You have no idea what you're doing, Stane... You need help!

Iron Monger: You're the one who'll need help after I'm done with you.

Iron Monger charges at Ruke and then bashes him hard, sending Ruke crashing through the glass wall behind him and begin falling forty stories down

Iron Monger: Sayonara, Ruke Stone! flies off

Ruke continues to fall


End file.
